Diode lasers are often used to pump erbium single-mode fiber amplifiers; however, a single diode laser typically generates only a relatively small amount of pumping power. Consequently, an array of diode lasers, or a laser bar, is conventionally used to generate a pump power level which is relatively large when compared with the pump power level provided by a single diode laser. The output beam produced by an array of laser diodes is highly multi-mode and thus not suitable for launching directly into a single mode fiber core. Therefore, in order to effectively couple a diode laser array to a single mode fiber core, a technique commonly referred to as "cladding pumping" is used. In a cladding pump technique, a single-mode core is surrounded by a multi-mode cladding layer which, in turn, is surrounded by an outermost cladding layer. A relatively high-power multimode pumping signal launched into the cladding from a diode array is substantially confined and guided within the multi-mode cladding layer. As the pumping energy propagates along the multi-mode cladding layer criss-crossing the doped fiber core, the energy is absorbed by the single-mode core. The absorbed multi-mode power is converted into a single-mode laser emission within the core. For many applications, this is an effective technique for supplying a relatively high-power pumping signal to a single-mode fiber laser.
However, one factor which limits the output power characteristic of a cladding pumped fiber laser is the conversion of a portion of the laser output signal from the desired lasing frequency to an unwanted so-called "Raman frequency." This conversion occurs by a process known as stimulated Raman scattering which shifts the desired output frequency to the first Stokes frequency of the fiber core. In optical fibers manufactured from silica, the first Stokes frequency corresponds to a wavelength of approximately 450 cm.sup.-1 or about 60 nanometers (nm) in the region of 1100 nm. Raman scattering is power-related and becomes significant when power levels increase above a threshold. The power limitation imposed by Raman scattering is more severe in pulsed fiber laser systems. With the effective area of typical cladding-pumped fibers and fiber lengths of about 50 meters, Raman scattering becomes significant at output power levels typically in the range of a few tens of watts. When Raman shifting occurs, the shifted wavelengths are also amplified in the laser oscillator thereby diverting the pumping energy also to the Raman-shifted wavelength output. Output at the desired lasing wavelength is therefore effectively limited.
A similar problem occurs when the laser gain at a desired lasing wavelength is less than the laser gain at another wavelength. In this case, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) may occur at the other wavelength and prevent the laser from operating at the desired wavelength or require an increase in the pumping intensity in order to generate a desired power output. For example, it may be desirable to operate a neodymium (Nd) fiber laser comprised of a Nd-doped double clad fiber at a laser wavelength of 940 nm. However, neodynium is a three-level system at 940 nm and the amplifier gain of the fiber is usually higher at 1060 nm where Nd is a four-level system. Consequently, operation at a wavelength of 940 nm requires a relatively high pump intensity due to the presence of the competing energy level system.
It is therefore desirable to control the output power characteristics of cladding pumped fiber lasers.
It is further desirable to suppress unwanted wavelengths in cladding pumped fiber lasers.
It is further desirable to reduce the effective pumping of a shifted wavelength output due to Raman scattering.